Hiring an engineer in Nashville, TN

Do Nashville residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN area pay?

Nashville residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $81,747 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $78,870 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 4%, with the residents figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole architecture and engineering group, not this one role. In the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN area the group covers 27 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from surveying and mapping technicians at $53,970 to computer hardware engineers at $137,450 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with engineers, all other at $98,000 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 27 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

The two sit within 10% of each other, so residents of Nashville and employers across the metro are priced about the same in this field, and pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

Is the talent actually in Nashville?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. O*NET OnLine, SOC 17-2199.

That matters here, because 46.9% of Nashville adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Nashville aged 25 and over.

The average Nashville commute runs 24.9 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.3% of Nashville workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Nashville.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Davidson County, architectural, engineering and related services employs 5,978 and turns over 5.6% a quarter, with 423 hires against 377 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $9,279 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5413.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about engineers, all other. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $98,000 median in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $19,600 to $29,400 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring an engineer in Nashville

What does it cost to hire an engineer in Nashville?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $98,000 median wage in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $19,600 to $29,400 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for an engineer in Nashville look like?

Employers in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN area pay engineers, all other a median of $98,000, with the middle half of the market between $75,140 and $124,940 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $75,140 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Nashville residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN area pay?

Nashville residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $81,747 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $78,870 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 4%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Nashville?

This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 46.9% of Nashville adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role.

Related

• Hiring Engineers, All Other: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Nashville
• Every Tennessee city we cover

Nashville is the largest of 3 Tennessee cities in this dataset.